If you’ve been following along lately, than you know this month I’ve been all about simplifying our home, and refreshing our living room. Well right around Christmas I decided I was brave enough to give this whole “white paint” thing a whirl. I did my research, read plenty of reviews and posts done by other designers and bloggers. Whenever I get ready to repaint a room, the first thing I do is head straight to pinterest and search the paint color I’m thinking of going with.
It helps so much to see the color finished in rooms to give you a good idea of how your project will look when it’s all done. I scan for comments so I have a good idea of how cool or warm a certain color will look. Then I read some articles on comparing different shades of paint. I dare you to go on Pinterest and search “White Paint Colors”. The result is post after post comparing every kind of white paint out there. From cool shades to warm tones, to creamy whites, to designers top picks, to tried and true. I read them all! And after doing my research I narrowed it down to 4 white paint colors. That’s when you saw this image I shared on Instagram.
When I don’t know exactly which color to go for, I go for something a bit larger. At Benjamin Moore stores you can buy these paint swatch squares, which are much larger then the normal paint swatch strip, for $1 each. I narrowed my search down to Lacey Pearl, White Heron, Simply White, and White Dove (not pictured in that order). After seeing it here up against our Benjamin Moore Halo, there were two that clearly stuck out – White Heron & Simply White. Simply White happens to be Benjamin Moore’s 2016 color choice, so I was slightly leaning towards that one, and then after comparing the two, Simply White came across warmer, which was what I was leaning towards, so our living room wood feel warmer and less stark. The next morning I headed to the paint store to with my paint swatch in hand.
Of course, as I’m getting ready to head out the door I happen to notice on my little paint swatch strip that the color directly above simply white, stands out a tiny bit brighter in our living room. One of the main reasons I test out the paint colors first, is the lighting in your home can greatly impact your paint color. 
On the paint swatch you can barely tell the difference between the two colors, but in person the snowfall white shows up a bit brighter. So not wanting to go back and forth to the store, I made the executive decision of getting a gallon of each, and that was that. I painted simply white first, because it was my first choice, so I decided to give it a chance. However by that evening the shadows cast a very strong green tint on the walls. I had no idea what it was coming from. 
At first glance it’s not super noticeable, and of course things do show up slightly brighter in pictures, but as you look closer, especially in the areas where there are shadows, like the corners of the room, you start to see that green tint.
Again, I know in pictures it’s hard to see, but if you compare the wall color to our trim color, or look behind the table lamp, you get a better idea of when it looks like in person.
I decided to try some of the snowfall white out, thank goodness I picked up that second gallon, right?!? Wrong! While it did show up a bit brighter when the paint was wet, and less green. Once it dried, it just morphed into the other color. So tired from painting I decided to give it two days and see if the paint color grew on me, or looked better during the day. During that time, my husband unknowing of my paint dilemma asked “Why did you decide to paint the living room green?” He was completely clueless about all of my thoughts towards this white paint that casts a green tint in our living room, I laughed and said “Thank You!”. Now he was even more confused, but I told him how for the last two days I was trying to figure out if I was just being picky, or going crazy, because this paint that is supposed to be white, feels green to me!
He smiled and said “Well I’m glad I could put you out of your misery”. Sometimes just having that second opinion is all the convincing you need. So you can bet the next day the first thing I did was head to the paint store and buy my third gallon of white paint. I went back to the white heron. After having a friend over one evening for some girl time, she totally agreed, that especially at night our white looked green, and I showed her what I was thinking, and she agreed. I tested a small area next to our trim, and I know seeing something online is completely different then in person, but you can somewhat see the difference already.
So for everyone who has ever painted a room, and you haven’t been thrilled with the outcome. We have all been there. Will this be the last time this happens, probably not. This isn’t the first time I have repainted over a freshly painted room because that undertone wasn’t something I could live with, or the paint cast a weird tint that just was not worth settling for. Sure I probably could have lived with the color, but in the back of my head it would of gnawed at me every time I walked in that room. Is that worth it then for me to repaint it, absolutely! I think sometimes we get this mind set that we can paint a room we just painted, similar to this theory men have about how you can’t paint perfectly good wood. If it makes you happy, and you will enjoy the space that much more, by all means paint away! I’d love to hear any stories some of you have about repainting a room after you just painted it, or any other painting woes you may have gone through 🙂
Stay in touch!
Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook
Have a design question? Visit Doucette Design Co. for all your design needs!
Just bought a home and chose to have the kitchen cabinets painted Simply White based of a million and one pictures on Pinterest and Houzz. They turned out a mixture of the most perfect white, some creamy yellow color, and even light tan in some areas. Simply White has been my $2k bust!
Love your house and your ideas.
White Dove has been color on our walls for 40 years.
Just changed one room with BM Super White. Love it!
No undertones. Will change all walls over time to new
White. Great In contemporary house.
almost our whole house is Simply White and it totally looks green to me! I feel a little better that someone else had/has this issue, but still not great because I would like to re-paint, but can’t bring myself to take that one again.
Just painted 80% of our newly built home in BM Simply White and it too came out green in some light and creamy yellow in others! After one coat we decided to go with the white they used on the trim, just a different finish. However, the painter is charging us $1950 for the one coat of paint he did. Total bust!
GAH! That totally stinks !! I am so sorry you had that experience 🙁
My small screened porch 9.5′ x 11′ is being made into a sunroom with a tiny powder room in it. There are 4 windows, the outside door, the opening to the living room and a pocket door for the powder room. The floors are light oak; the room faces west. Because of the small size I am thinking I should paint one white color everywhere-ceiling, trim, and walls- in both sunroom and powder room.
So here we go with the Benjamin Moore whites.
Would White Dove semi gloss be ok to do this in a bright room?
Of course Chantilly Lace or China White are standing by!
Has anyone done the one color all over paint job?!
Any input would be appreciated before I go purchase!!
Anne
I think you can definitely do one color on everything. Just make sure you don’t do a flat sheen. Semi-gloss should be fine, and your best bet maybe to try a sample of each white first and see what it’s like in the space 😉
White paint can be so frustrating! There are so many things that come into play. Things like: what color flooring you have, whether your room faces east, west, et cetera..so many things come into play and can affect the shading. One thing I decided on when I chose to paint white is I decided to choose the white that looks best in my room during the time of day when I would be spending the most time there. I have Southeastern facing rooms and love Benjamin Moore Simply White — especially in the morning. In the morning sun it glows richly, and in the evening while it does mellow, it is never green. Maybe that’s because my floors are white, too. I love having my morning coffee in the dining room, but am still pleased in the evening when it gets deeper. White is a tough paint color to choose. It took me 3 months of research and trial and error, but Simoly White works great for us.
best idea of wall painting.
Thank you! This post was so reassuring! I painted Simply White in my kitchen after living with the sample in the wall for weeks. Well, that was back in October of 2015. The color was a beautiful soft white with a creamy appearance in the evening. I loved it. Then this Summer, the sun is very obviously in a different place because now there is a definite chartreuse glow all morning and I hate it! Not sure what to do about it. I was so happy to hear that someone else had the green issue! Perhaps I will get a sample of the White Heron. My family thinks I’m nuts.
I used to do wall finishes for a living and know that I should buy sample colors to test first. So, when I recently went to my Benjamin Moore store and told the man that I wanted a gallon of “Wish” to paint my kitchen he suggested that I might want to try a couple sample colors before making my final decision. I couldn’t believe the voice coming from my mouth was confidently saying, “This is the exact color I was wanting.” After two coats of “Wish” that took me two days to paint, I realized the color that I thought would be more of a sandstone according to the swatch was actually gray. I will be repainting it soon. I love gray, but its not the color I wanted for my kitchen. I painted my cabinets “Simply White” and they look white, but colors can look different depending on the light in the room. Happy painting!
This post could not have come at a better time. My husband and I have been remodeling house for 5 years. Needless to say… it has become our testimony! The outside is beautiful. It is a mid-gray craftsman style house. However; when you walk in you wonder what in the world happen? I’m horrible with paint colors! For the past 2 years I have lived with a drabby dark wheat color that absolutely does not go with the outside of the house. Lately I have started watching Fixer Upper and have built up the courage to paint gray and whites at an attempt for the beachy farmhouse look. Disaster! I painted Alabaster White first and maybe it’s because the rest of the house is that brown color but to use the word shocking would be an understatement. We do plan to put ship lap up on that wall so I think with texture it is sure to be beautiful?? I then painted one wall Collonade Gray. I was expecting a greige but it definitely leans toward more towards the blue undertone. The wall is too light. I’m struggling between Amazing Gray and Intellectual Gray but I literally hate painting and am dreading to repaint yet again. I’m starting to understand why my house is not decorated! Thank you for the affirmation that I need to paint again, even though I do not want to. Any color suggestions you could offer would be greatly appreciated! Love your house!
I am a decorator and painter and just recently painted my first floor all white dove… was between that and simply white..so funny.. but one wall in my kitchen has a green undertone and that is a north facing wall…interesting another person said that would be because it reflects the outside… anyway… I like it alot but I think white dove looks better for trim
Ha! Been there. I repainted the foyer in our first house 7 tines in one week because of this exact same issue. Hubby thought I was nuts!:)
Hi Bre, glad to hear that even you have to try more than one paint color sometimes! I started to paint my kitchen cabinets white using Simply White-“everyone uses it and loves it”. But in my house it looked pale yellowish…I tried a few more paint colors, but still nothing looks good…I actually stopped working on the project because I don’t think I’m gonna find my color. After reading this, I may try again!
I can definitely see the green undertones in the Simply White. And I’m telling you undertones drive me crazy with trying to pick a paint color. I would have repainted too because I just can’t deal with certain tones.
I just did all the same study of whites that you mentioned. AND went with BM Simply White, the number 1 white for 2016. AND got it on the walls AND mine was also green!!! Tomorrow I will go after the BM white heron and see if this is my right white, too!
I have been there, done that …. so annoying. Daylight and lamplight did odd things to paint colors that were supposed to be a creamy white. I ended up with something on the walls that looked like mellow lemon sorbet to me once the lights were turned on. I finally found ‘Acacia’ with Kensington and Clark, ACE hardware’s paint line. It stayed true to expectations, no matter what the light situation was. I was also delighted to find that they have a paint that is ultra matt, no glare whatsoever. Any kind of shine on the walls makes me think of kindergardens or hospitals, so a no-go for me. Now almost all of our house is painted in ‘Acacia’. Good luck with any further endeavors!!
I know this won’t help…but I love the Halo color you had on the walls!!! Lol!!! I know white walls have been in lately, but I grew up in a house with white walls everywhere!!! Trim & walls were painted Sears white…the color never changed!! I tell my mother,it was like growing up in an institution!! Lol!! I think that’s why I paint & repaint so often, because I just love changing up the colors on my wall,trim,doors & furniture!! I just painted all my interior doors black & I love them!!
What threw White Dove out of the mix? It seems as if all my design magazines have White Dove on walls, trim, cupboards, etc. I have painted two bathrooms SW Extra White and a bedroom SW Pure White. I like the clean look of both colors but feel they are a bit stark. Like you, I have hunted down white colors on blog sites and wherever/whoever has input. I would greatly appreciate any insight on White Dove from you or any of your readers.
I just did this in my living room last year! I went from a darker greenish gray-brown(Valspar Smoked Oyster) to SW Alabaster. I couldn’t decide between that and SW Snowbound and went with Alabaster last minute. Not the right choice at all! I don’t regret going white, I love the lightness, but it has a yellowy tint in our room and I wanted a more chalky gray-white. I haven’t repainted yet because of money, time(it’s a big room), and because my husband would NOT understand. He very much dislikes his home being topsy-turvy. Pretty sure I’m stuck with it for a couple years!
I have painted every single room in my house at least twice and we have only been there 7 years, so I can definitely relate to this!
Who would ever think white could be this tricky?!
I did this with farrow and ball skimming stone, it Made the north facing room look really gloomy! I spend months trying to find the perfect colour…I research every comment in magazines to Pinterest and can still get it wrong!!my favourite colour of white at moment is wevet from farrow and ball. It is white but has slight grey/Lilac undertones in different light. I am slithering on this for front North facing room.
I need as much light as possible here in Scotland. I really enjoy your blog Bre!!
This is what I have learned about choosing paint colors.. Always ask the mixer about the formula. He or she will tell you how much red, blue, black or yellow is in the mix and will give you a better idea of what color will be cast on the wall.. It’s saved me a lot of money when choosing between two similar colors and knowing that a touch more of some tint in the mix will bring out a certain hue.
I love picking out new paint colors for a room. It makes everything fresh and new once it’s on the wall. Good luck!
Your story remained me of the time Mom & I painted the family room and again the next. My dad noticed a few days later. Did you paint in here? It was common in our house to paint anything but the finer furniture any time to any color.
Just got home from the BM paint store looking for a shade of white or beige. Looked at the paint chip of Simply White in the car and told my husband it was green. I’ll look again in my house. We’re going from colors that I’ve loved for years so I’m very nervous about picking a neutral that is just right. I’ve already put three sample paint colors around three rooms, now we have to paint. My husband says that was my plan to make sure he paints. Thanks for your story of messing up. Now I know if we have to do over we can.
I can totally see the green tint in these images! So crazy how colors interact with light and how different they can look in different spaces. The White Heron looks lovely!
Been there too. Curious which colour you ended up going with in the end.
I’m going with the White Heron. Been painting all day, and so far it’s coming out great, no undertones 🙂
I love your blog and the way you tell the story and I love your style. I am a person that has a really hard time with which white is the right white. I have been slowly repainting all of my rooms. I keep going towards white with a high contrasting color with it. My husband does not like it at all. Our kitchen walls have white on the bottom half of the walls and a color that is almost black but in the brown family on the top part of the walls with white ceilings and white molding. I am getting ready to repaint our bedroom I want to go all white with my furniture in distressed black. What are your thoughts on this? I live in a really really small townhouse every room in it is small. I also was wondering if I paint my walls white what do I paint my moldings and ceiling. Do I go with a ceiling white or not, do I paint the trim the same color as the walls or a different white, do you paint with flat paint, egg shell….??? HELP!!!!!
I once painted a room 10 times in one week-yes that’s one room 10 times in a week! And not a small room either. I can now laugh about the great baby poop yellow incident(& that was how my then 9 year old described my walls!), the great peptobismal explosion pink, and not to forget the someone smeared English peas on my walls green. Really not funny when you’ve been up all night painting & your husband says he loves the blue but thought you wanted grey! So yeah I’ve had a couple(ok more like hundreds)of paint disasters in my day! But I finally learned to buy a sample, paint four poster boards in my chosen color & then place in each corner of my room. Study for a few days at different times/lighting. If I still like it, then buy a sample & paint 3x3ft sections on all walls(especially in corners or where there’s wonky lighting!). Refrain from running out to buy the gallon and just look at it a few days before pulling the trigger. Yes it takes me a little longer, but I now love every color I’ve picked this way.
Beautiful house Bre & I’m loving the lighter, less is more look you are doing. Can’t wait to see more of your living room refresh!
I LOVED this story!!! Thank you so much for sharing, it def made me laugh 🙂 XO
Oh my gosh, I just did the same thing in my bedroom but “Simply White” ended up to be my final and SO perfect color! It’s so weird how light can effect different spaces.
My real challenge though was trying to find a navy to paint the office that didn’t make us feel like we were swimming in the killer whale tank at Sea World or scuba diving in some deep dark ocean. (Going more “denim” than “marine” solved that dilemma:)
I too painted Simply White on all of my trim and it looks perfect. My wall color is BM Revere Pewter (which looks like cement to me, and I love it) My doors are BM Wrought Iron (they look great too) But when I tried the Wrought Iron color on the outside door it looked like it had a blue undertone which I didn’t like.
Hi Bre,
After living in Army quarters with grayish green/ grayish white concrete block walls, I went crazy and painted our new house bedroom BRIGHT CORAL! Yup. Nope, we didn’t sleep all night. Next day we went with Sears Wheat…they may not even have that anymore. ..and in every room. So calming. ILOVE the idea of color on walls, but my house in Texas is BM Putnam Ivory or Revere Pewter, after I lived with a mustard yellow in the dining room for 5 year, because my husband refused to repaint…he thought I would get used to it! HA! HA HA! In NH, it is totally BM Brookline Beige with Whie Dove trim. Goes with anything, never changes color and is warm and soothing. I add color with accessories. I obviously have no talent with paint colors other than neutral…your house looks beautiful!
That’s awesome!!! Where in NH are you, we are in Candia 🙂
We are in Washington. We go back and forth. No snow there yet. Crazy! I have one daughter here in TX and one daughter in New England.
I have white cabinets in TX with granite and Black cabinets in NH with the Formica FX 180. No one can tell it’s not granite…who knew I would love it so much?
Just love your house!
Holly
Totally get it! I wanted a goldy-mustard yellow in our living room, not too dark, not too bright, you know Goldilocks just right. The first one looked like I had died inside a lemon! OMG! -not! My husband, who was doing the painting, said it looked bright and cheery. Of course if it had been purple he still would have said it looked fine. Back to the store. I lucked out and the second paint wa just Goldilocks! I did the same thing in the kitchen. Oh well, you’D think at my age, 65, I’d have it down oat but…
I painted my room white right before Christmas, thinking maybe the Simply White was the color. But changed my mind to Dove White at the last minute and I really like it. My room faced north and tends to reflect the outside so painting is really hard. There is always a greenish look. But I love the results and I am sorry you had such a time with it….
Oh no ?I remember painting our first master bedroom over and over! 3 times I was new to painting on my own and kept on picking out browner tones when I was going for a tan!
UGH! I can only imagine 🙂 I”m so glad this 3rd choice is finally coming out right 🙂 Can’t wait for you to see it!
I think that white is the most difficult color to choose for walls. I’m an artist, and when I choose colors for the walls of my home I usually do pretty well. But white is something else. There must be a million tints and tones and you definitely need to try them out first. The only other color I had problems with was terracotta. I wanted the look of an adobe house in Santa Fe, but it was pink!